If you're unfamiliar with Connecticut's Ovlov, just ask your buddy who's really into underground garage rock bands. They'll probably talk your ear off about how Ovlov is a cult favorite with more break-ups than your average VH1 reality show, but keep coming back with consistently strong tunes. On November 19, Ovlov will drop their latest full-length Buds via Exploding In Sound, and that announcement comes with a new song called "Land of Steve-O."
When I interviewed Ovlov's Steve Hartlett many years ago, he told me that "Where's My Dini," a song from 2013's Am, was inspired by a longtime friend of the same name. That sweet response stuck with me, and in a press statement for the new song, Hartlett said the music was inspired by another friend:
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"I wrote this song after I got in some stupid argument with my father in the car, and once we got home I decided to go for a walk but ended up walking for about 2 hours and stopping to sit on a bench at the police station in the center of Newtown, Ct, where my parents raised me and still live today. I texted my friend Steve-O who I had been hanging out with a lot at the time. Basically anytime I was feeling like I wanted to hang out with someone, whether I was in need of someone to confide in or just wanted to chill, Steve-O was always down. He’s been an extremely important and close friend of mine since we met in the 6th grade when basically we both wrote down that Papa Roach was our favorite band on a personality questionnaire our teacher wrote for us in order to more easily make friends with the weirdos from all the other elementary school. The song is basically just about how good a guy I think Steve-O is."
Perhaps Buds is a concept album about friendship? We'll find out on November 19.
